I finished the originalDeath Strandingin around 50 hours, and by that point, I was pretty tired of walking. I enjoyed myself, but the journey had been long, and so it felt natural coming to a close after such a significant amount of time.
Now, I’ve just hit 50 hours inDeath Stranding 2, and right as I did, I was told I’ve reconnected “just over 50 percent of the Australian continent”. I’m imagining I still have -at least- another 20 hours to go, but probably more. This time, however, I’m glad about that.
Death Stranding 2 Has Much Better Variation And Pacing
A large part of why I’m not currently burned out with my adventure across Australiais the pure variation this sequel offers. Not only with the environmental regions each offering something new, but also the increasing types of dangers you face and the tools at your disposal. Dozens of hours into the experience, you’ll earn a new type of gun, a new means of transport, or even a coffin that’s also a surfboard because why not?
But between all of the point A to point B travelling, the story elements are so much more interesting this time around. I enjoyed the first Death Stranding well enough,but could never bring myself to want to experience the story again. In the sequel, cutscenes aren’t too long or convoluted, but instead offer something unique or engaging to the point that I get excited to put down the controller and grab a snack while a new narrative moment takes place. Most of the time, it’ll be weird, but also spectacular.
The Online ‘Strand’ Elements Will Keep Things Going
However long a game’s story is, though, it has to end at some point. But what’s really going to keep the experience of Death Stranding 2 alive is the other players. Now,I’m someone who actually likes to play the game in offline mode and experience the isolation that comes with reconnecting a stranded world, but I know that once I’m in the endgame, I can flick the switch to reconnect myself and watch as the now-connected continent begins to rebuild itself, with the help of players from all over the world.
Staying offline is noticeable, at times, like when I decided to walk for a delivery, and it took me two hours. It could have been 20 minutes on a road, but I hadn’t built a road. Oh well.
When online, players will collectively contribute the massive amount of resources needed to rebuild roads, monorails, and bridges across the many rivers. Even if this is something I’ve opted out of for the majority of my playthrough, I know it’ll be an exciting thing to witness as my journey comes to a close, and it offers a new lease of life in exploring the map in a whole new way while carrying out the remaining orders across the continent.
Thanks to other players, the world of Death Stranding 2 will continue to evolve, and after an isolating journey, I can’t wait to see how we rebuild Australia in time.
